Friday, June 29, 2012

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Part of the scene at Jack's Night Market in Jack London Square on the first Friday of the month. This event is an expansion of Art Murmur activities which take place in the Uptown area also on the first Friday of the month.

Monday, June 25, 2012

This mural, entitled, Life Givers, is another project of the Community Rejuvenation Project. It is found at 83rd and MacArthur Avenue in East Oakland. Desi WOME (Weapons of Mass Expression hip hop collective) founded the project and is typically involved in the creation of the murals. Amazingly, they seem to throw them up very quickly. I assume lots of planning time is invested prior to the actual painting. CRP firmly believes that murals fight blight and help build stronger communities. Check out his website for more information.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for
you. Just follow the Linky steps below. You decide what
constitutes a mural. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit
your fellow posters. Looking forward to the murals posted this
week. Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find. P.s. It's time, Suzanne.

Monday, June 18, 2012

This is a companion mural to that shown last week. To my eye, this mural references the masks of Japan and Indonesia. Again, sadly I have no information on the artists. Hopefully, someone will enlighten us. The Eastside Cultural Center next door on International Blvd. is a local focus for visual and musical arts and often hosts gallery performances.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for
you. Just follow the Linky steps below. You decide what
constitutes a mural. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit
your fellow posters. Looking forward to the murals posted this
week. Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

This is a PG & E substation near Jack London Square. For some reason all these coils, wires, and electrical humming reminded me of Flash Gordon. Or maybe something from Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. It's alive!!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland in 1919. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066 was instituted which orchestrated the removal of all Japanese (including American citizens) to relocation camps in the Southwest deserts. No due process hearings were held, no trials were held, and no distinction was made between loyal citizens
and possible supporters of the Japanese Empire. The property they left
behind was either guarded by faithful friends or often stolen by
unscrupulous neighbors. Fred protested these actions and went into
hiding as an act of resistance. He eventually was caught and sent to
Topaz, Utah. The legality of the internment order was upheld by the United States Supreme Court. He ultimately returned to Oakland to raise his family.

Korematsu's conviction was overturned in the 1980s after the
disclosure of new evidence, challenging the necessity of the Japanese
internment, which had been withheld from the courts by the U.S.
government during the war.
These documents revealed that the
military had lied to the Supreme Court, and that government lawyers had
willingly made false arguments. His adult children were shocked to learn of their father's activism and early legal battles as he never talked about it after the courts upheld his conviction of resisting the internment orders.

In 1998 Korematsu was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. Later in life Korematsu reinvigorated his social activism and advocated for rule of law and the protection of immigrant rights, especially for Muslim citizens post 9/11. Recently the Smithsonian announced the inclusion of Korematsu's portrait in the museum's collection.

Korematsu died in 2005 and is now buried in Mt. View Cemetery with a large granite rock marking his grave. To me the granite represents the strength and endurance of his principles. The flowers laid at the right side of his tombstone include a note of thanks from an admirer who was inspired by the history of Korematsu's civil rights struggles. His life work is admired by area progressives, but he remains largely unknown to local citizens.

Monday, June 11, 2012

This mural is found on International Blvd. and 23rd Avenue. It is sponsored by the Eastside Cultural Center and fronts the Sam Jinn Building next door. The mural celebrates black history through its African roots. It's a powerful image that projects pride and strength. I looked for and googled for the artists' names but did not find any information. Hopefully, a reader will fill us in. This mural and others on the building are relatively new. I'll show a partner mural next week.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for
you. Just follow the Linky steps below. You decide what
constitutes a mural. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit
your fellow posters. Looking forward to the murals posted this
week. Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Down the hill from the Peralta Hacienda (previous post) is Peralta Creek. This is one area where it comes above ground and creates an authentic riparian ecology niche. This is one of the things that is so surprising about Oakland. In the middle of a decidedly urban area, there are these oases of rural life that appear and delight. This small section has picnic tables and access to surrounding streets. I imagine this creek provided the adobes their water source and probably helped irrigate crops. Because there are tiny glimmers of watery reflections, I'm linking to Weekend Reflections.

Friday, June 8, 2012

What's left of the vast Peralta Rancho, a land grant of originally more than 44,000 acres, is this Italianate House built in 1870. The previous adobes were successively torn down. A few adobe bricks associated with a Peralta house can still be found in Dimond Park. Luis Maria Peralta, with his parents, was a member of the de Anza expedition of 1775 that established Mission San Jose, the Precidio, and Mission Delores. Ultimately, he was granted a large tract of land in 1820 that covered much of the East Bay from Albany to San Jose. Although initially a productive and profitable operation, over time the land was subdivided amongst his children. Eventually much of it was sold, some of it was grabbed by Anglos after the Gold Rush, and eventually the land was reduced to a handful of acres around this 'modern" house. The home remained neglected for many years until renovated by the city and turned into an education center and museum. The center educates the public about the rancho period and the part it played in the area's economy and general history. Linked to Skywatch Friday.

Monday, June 4, 2012

This peace wall is in Jack London Square. It is composed of tiles created by Oakland school children under the guidance of local artists. As best I can determine, it was done in 1998. There are actually two walls of tiles, which line steps that move down toward the waters of the estuary. The steps used to lead up to a Barnes & Noble, which suddenly closed up shop two years ago. No new tenant has yet come forward.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for
you. Just follow the Linky steps below. You decide what
constitutes a mural. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit
your fellow posters. Looking forward to the murals posted this
week. Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Today is Theme Day in the CDP world. This month's theme is "tranquility." I found these two friends enjoying a talk in the Fruitvale Plaza. They seemed content to be there. Maybe the plaza reminded them of their hometown zocalo. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in this month's Theme Day.